JEFFERSON - As a young boy, retired Lt. Col. Richard Harris, a 1969 graduate of Jefferson-Morgan, watched the annual Veterans Day Parade in Jefferson each year with his mother. He remembered the impact the veterans in their crisp uniforms had on him as they stopped to perform the 21-gun salute.
“We were standing on the corner of the Gallatin Bank and Acklin’s Dairy Bar,” he said. “I collected a shell casing and kept it for many years. It left a lasting impression on me, these young men from the greatest generation of World War II and Korea.”
Harris grew up in a strong military family. He spoke of the uncle who didn’t weigh enough to be accepted so he ate ice cream, almost daily, to earn the right to serve.
Harris paid attention to the veterans in his community and the way that community responded to them.
While the response across the country was typically unwelcoming to returning Vietnam veterans, Harris said the climate in Greene County was just the opposite. In Clarksville, Jefferson, Mather, Waynesburg and all over the area, there was support for the veterans, he said.
It was perhaps even more so in Clarksville, where a young Army private, Brent McClellan, didn’t make it home from Vietnam in 1966.
“I didn’t know Brent McClellan personally, but I knew of him,” he said. “Years later, I saw his name etched on the Wall in Washington, D.C.”
Harris went on to name many of the prominent veterans from each of the wars since World War II.
He talked of his own service in Operation Dessert Storm and how much it meant to receive the care package sent from Jefferson Filer-Sadlek Post 954 of the American Legion.
Harris recognized Pfc. Richard Kowalewski Jr. of Crucible, who was among 18 Ranger and Delta Force members killed in action Oct. 3, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia; U.S. Army Spc. Gregory Cox, 21, of Carmichaels, who died in 2004; and Marine Lance Cpl. Steven Phillips of Spraggs, who died in 2006. Both Cox and Phillips were casualties of Humvee accidents in Iraq.
“Please, never forget our heroes, our warriors, our veterans,” he said. “I know you won’t. You are a community of patriotic, loyal citizens who have supported them time and time again. You are here today.”
Among the other speakers at the event was Post 954 Cmdr. Paul Medlick Sr., who presented an honorary life membership to the post chaplain, Thomas Keys, for his dedication to the organization.
Special recognition was also given to former post commander John E. Titus, 90, of Jefferson, who has been with the Legion for 67 years.
As is tradition at the annual Veterans Day remembrance in Jefferson, Post 954 conducted its Post Everlasting Service to recognize their members who passed away in the preceding year.
Those members were: World War II Army veteran PFC Wallace Meyers; World War II and Korean War veteran Army Technical Cpl. and Merchant Marine Mario “Mike” Santelle; World War II Army veteran T-4 Dale M. Hockenberry; World War II Navy veteran Spc. 2 Orlando “Chick” Virgili; and World War II Navy veteran Seaman 2nd Class John Topolosky.
Every November we naturally think of “Thanksgiving” and there is nothing wrong with that. After all Americans have much to be thankful for as we are a society derived from righteousness and Judeo Christian belief that all men are created equal. Therefore our nation is abundantly blessed with equality, justice, liberty and freedoms found in no other nation.
Let us pause for a moment and think about what I just said. How did we become a nation with such precious principles? With an abiding faith in God our nation was born as a result of the unselfish sacrifices of patriots both political and militarily. For the purpose of this column let us focus on the latter … militarily.
November 11th, Veteran’s Day, originally called Armistice Day, is the only American holiday established to remember a specific moment in time. In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month the world rejoiced following four years of bitter war, World War 1, with the signing of an armistice. The war to end all wars was over … so we thought. Since then the name has changed to include veterans of the wars and conflicts that would follow.
As we prepare to commemorate Veterans Day, we proudly and gratefully acknowledge the sacrifice and hardships demanded from and faithfully accepted by the millions of men and women who have defended our nation, and continue to do so, in times of peace as well as in times of war.
Veteran’s Day is a reminder that we do have an obligation to safeguard the precious legacy of our founding fathers, a legacy of freedom, justice and liberty. this legacy forever commits the nation to preserve our sovereignty , respect our heritage, and instill in us the responsibility of good and faithful citizenship.
Freedom is America’s heart and can only be retained by eternal vigilance. This has always been the price for freedom. Freedom is never free. As the great American patriot Thomas Paine said, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it. What we obtain too cheap,, we esteem to lightly.”
What we remember and honor on Veteran’s Day are the brave men and women who believe (believed) so much in an idea, and are (were) willing to risk death for it. That idea of course is and always will be “freedom”.
American Legion Post 301 remind you November is indeed a month of thanksgiving … so on Veteran’s Day let us be ever so thankful for those who assure our freedom shall continue to endure the test of time by simply saying, “Thank you” to our nation’s military veterans.
Worth remembering … 92 years ago shortly following the Milton L. Bishop American Legion Post 301, in the Department of Pennsylvania American Legion, receiving its official charter two local veterans, Max C. Floto made a motion on the floor of the local post ans was second by Thomas Scott to campaign to have November 11th, Armistice Day (as it was called) recognized as a national holiday.
The motion passed and was sent on to the Department and National levels of the American Legion where it likewise passed at the First National Convention of the American Legion. Thus began the long journey through the political system at the local, state and federal levels where it finally became law.
This effort earned Max C. Floto the title of “Father of Armistice Day” and it all began in Connellsville, PA.
Thankful for Veterans was written by Dennis McKendry Past Commander and 24th District Deputy Commander American Legion Post 301
“Pride & Performance” is Department Commander Pete Wasco’s motto this membership year. You interest and participation in the Pennsylvania American Legion is welcome and in fact, needed! This great organization has a myriad of exceptional programs all of which set us apart from any of the other veterans’ service organizations. There is literally something of interest for all veterans and their families in The American Legion! Promoting membership to advancing any one of our programs is essential to the success of any or all of our programs. The task is everyone’s responsibility. Together, with your assistance, we can increase our membership and participation in The American Legion programs. You can be an asset to the success of your post, county, district, section or department. We implore you to be an active component in our American Legion. “Pride & Performance” is a fitting slogan, through your participation we will ALL benefit – ALL being The American Legion, our post’s, communities and this great Nation! Our four pillars are still as important today as they were in 1919.
Legion College is here again. All posts are encouraged to send their commanders, adjutants, SAL officers, Auxiliary, Legion Riders officers and all interested members who may benefit from this day-long training/informational session. The dates are October 30 for the east and central section at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg and November 6 at Latrobe High School for the western section. The courses this year are: General Course, Adjutant Course, Auxiliary Course, SAL Course, Service Officer Course, Legion Riders Course, Home Association Course and Chaplain Course. The registration is only $15 for any of these eight courses. Of particular interest this year are detailed instructions on the IRS Form 990, small games of chance updates, a new membership tool that will be useful for the entire Legion family, as well as information offered through each of the scheduled classes. We have had a great turnout over the past three years and we hope you will take time to attend the Legion College most convenient for you and your post’s Legion family members.
Our Department Commander Pete Wasco’s project this year is the National Emergency Fund (NEF). We have instituted the placards that have been used in the past and customized them to reflect our commanders NEF project. These placards are in essence exactly the same as the shamrocks for Muscular Dystrophy, the hearts for the American Heart Association, etc. There is one difference and that is they are supported by our members and they benefit our members. In the past ten years Pennsylvania posts and Legionnaires have drawn from this fund. We support this fund and through the sales of these placards this poses no real burden to any of our posts in pushing this worthwhile program. To support this, a post simply needs to get the placards from your district commander and sell them to your customers. Post 145 in Crafton does not have a bar but they easily sell 100 of these NEF placards at their bingo. We ask you to make a concerted effort to make this a successful campaign. In addition to the NEF our Department is supporting other National programs to include the Legacy Fund, Wounded Warrior Project, and the Child Welfare Fund. All these are very worthwhile programs that deserve our support. With the small games of chance being scrutinized more now than ever before these programs are an excellent way for your post to comply with the letter of the law and support a good cause. When your post is making donations to worthy causes please consider these as they are very worthwhile programs deserving of our support!
Congress has made September 16 The American Legion Day! In commemoration of the day The American Legion was chartered by Congress – The American Legion Day marks the beginning of a three-month period to promote the organization and the good work done to aid America’s veterans, their families and the communities in which American Legion posts are located. This is an opportune time to reconnect with your local community and possibly get some free publicity in your local news media. As I have said many times before, “our posts are the window through which our communities view our American Legion.” Posts should make an effort to reestablish programs in the community and the schools in your respective areas and show we are much more than a bar. Make your community a Legiontown! Making your town a Legiontown can begin on American Legion Day with a ceremony involving city leaders and the public with events and activities continuing through November. Every community interaction is an opportunity to educate the public about the Four Pillars of The American Legion and the services provided by your post. Other opportunities might include a Veterans Service Day, disaster preparedness education, Halloween safety, Heroes to Hometowns troop support events, and other opportunities that directly involve members of your community. The better we educate our communities as to what The American Legion is the easier we will garner participation in our programs and entice new members to join our great organization! Let’s all make our community a Legiontown!
The Oratorical Contest is coming quicker than you think! This is the time to get your local students/schools working on this great program. Every school should have a participant and should have an equal opportunity to compete for the more than $16,500 in prize monies given by our Department at the state finals. This is in conjunction with the contest money that can be won at the district, county and section contests. The student who wins our department contest will advance to the National contest for a chance to win an additional $18,000. With the high cost of higher education today I am sure many students in all our posts communities and their parents would participate in this great program.
Remember Veterans Day is November 11th that may be an opportune time to reconnect with your community. An open house may be the ticket. Inviting prospective new members to attend is a great idea!
The Department of Pennsylvania American Legion annual Christmas Tour will be December 3-9. The Department Commander, Adjutant, National Executive Committeeman, Auxiliary President and the Hospital Entertainment chairman will travel across our Commonwealth and visit each state veterans’ home and VA hospital. We encourage all interested members of our American Legion family to join us when we are in your area. The residents and patients truly appreciate it, so come out and help bring some joy to our veterans’ lives.
Our Department Executive Committee meeting is January 14-16, 2011. The annual Housing for Homeless Veterans Corp. dinner will be held Saturday, January 15th. Make plans to support this important program by placing an ad in the program book and attending the dinner. Dinner tickets will be $25, ads will run $70 for a full page, $50 for a half page and $40 for a quarter page. Make sure you get ads approved early so you can send them in and show your support for this great program.
The National Commander’s tour of Pennsylvania will begin in the east on March 7, continue to the central section March 8 and conclude in the western section on March 9th. Make plans to attend the banquet when it is in your area and hear the message from National Commander Foster and show him we are Pennsylvania proud!
Finally, I participated on a 9-11 Memorial Pennsylvania American Legion Riders run. This was well attended, well run, very organized and the camaraderie was second to none. I wish to thank the Pennsylvania American Legion Riders for their support and for the good things they are involved in! Until next time…
I would first like to thank you again for electing me as your Department Commander. When I was elected I spoke about change, and how we need to re-think the way we do certain things.
One of those changes is our American Legion Riders (ALR) program. We did have our first open election for our ALR and they are out there getting old chapters re-chartered and starting up new ones. I want to congratulate Charles Oakley on being elected State President and wish him well this year.
Other areas we need to look at are our programs. We need to get out into our communities and promote all of them: Keystone Boys State, State Police Week, Oratorical and Essay, the list goes on and on but it’s up to each and every one of us to get out and promote them.
My motto for the year is “Pride & Performance”. I have pride in this great organization and perform proudly the duties that I took an oath to uphold. That’s one way we can increase membership and help each of The American Legion programs.
Speaking of membership, we lost 11,000 members last year. I don’t know about you, but I am very proud of the fact that I come from the largest department in the world. If we don’t stop letting older members slip out the back door we will no longer be the largest department. So I urge you to make contact with all your members and ask them to renew, or find out why they are not renewing, it could be a simple fix.
Another thing that needed looking at was our employee retirement plan. I would like to thank all members of the DEC for making necessary changes so that we can not only take care of our employees but stay financially secure in the future.
My project for this year is the National Emergency Fund (NEF). I feel this is a very important program in which members and posts can and have used in the past when there was a natural disaster. All district commanders were given 1000 NEF placards at the September DEC. I hope they are being distributed to all our posts.
I hope to see and meet many of you at one of our Legion Colleges, either Legion College East on October 30th at Cumberland Valley High School or Legion College West on November 6th at Latrobe High School.
Please keep up the good work. Keep in mind Veterans Day is November 11.
God bless
Washington (Sept. 29, 2010) – Dan Dellinger, former chairman of The American Legion’s Economic Commission, has been appointed to the Obama administration’s Interagency Task Force on Federal Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses.According to an April 26 White House press release, the task force was established in order to “coordinate executive departments’ and agencies’ efforts towards ensuring that all small businesses have a fair chance to participate in federal contracting opportunities.”
Dellinger, who owned a construction management and general contracting company for more than 20 years, currently serves as chairman of the Legion’s national security commission. His military background and extensive experience with small businesses make him a perfect addition to the task force, according to a colleague.
“He’s a veteran and business owner, so he understands the challenges that both groups go through,” said Joe Sharpe, director of The American Legion’s economic division. “He is in a unique position to speak for the veterans community, he understands the issues, and it is great for him to be on this task force and ensure that veterans receive a fair amount of government contracts.”
Sharpe says that Dellinger will focus on getting federal contractors to work more effectively with service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs), awarding them the amount of contracting dollars they are supposed to be receiving.
“Right now, there’s a law that says that three percent of federal dollars will go to service-disabled veteran small business owners, and that mandate has never been reached,” said Mark Walker, deputy director of the Legion’s economic division. “Having Dellinger on the agency task force will help the White House understand these issues and ensure that these agencies will uphold their mandates to fulfill these promises to veteran servicemen and women.”
Dellinger was raised in Vienna, Va., and is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War as a company commander, and was promoted to captain while serving in the Army Reserve. A member of The American Legion for 29 years, Dellinger is a former Vienna town councilman and currently serves as judge advocate for American Legion Post 180. He lives in Vienna with his wife, Margaret. They have two children, Scott and Anne.
By Lauren Maffeo
This fall, members of your Post, Unit Squadron or Chapter can take one day and learn about the many different programs and projects concerning the Pennsylvania American Legion. For a $15 registration fee, “students” choose one of eight courses, which will be filled on a first come first served basis.
The General Course provides information on all Department programs, activities and more.
The Adjutant Course is a 1/2 day course which covers membership, various forms as well as other information. The first half of the day will be spent in the General Course.
The Auxiliary Course is an all day class that covers issues pertaining to the Pennsylvania American Legion Auxiliary.
There will also be a 1/2 day SAL Course. The first half of the day will be spent in the General Course
The Service Officer Course is an all day class that will give insight on filing claims and assisting veterans in need.
The Home Association Course is an all day class that will educate attendees on bookkeeping, IRS forms, small games of chance and the Home Association’s relationship to the Post.
Another class is the Legion Riders Course for the entire day. This will inform the students about the different aspects of the Legion Riders.
The final program is the Chaplain Course for those who are or may want to become a Chaplain and will explain your obligations and duties within your Post as the Chaplain. The first half of the day will be spent in the General Course.
For your convenience Department offers tow “colleges”. Choose to attend October 30, 2010 at Cumberland Valley High School (Mechanicsburg, PA) or November 6, 2010 at the Latrobe High School in Latrobe PA. Opening program begins at 8:30 am with all classes starting at 9:00 am.
Registration fee includes course material, a full course lunch and a Legion College pin.
Both facilities are non smoking.
Click Here for the Legion College application
View a video of the 2009/2010 year in review.
The 2010 Department Convention held at the Harrisburg Hilton Hotel was a great success. View the great pictures below.
The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest veterans service organization, committed to mentoring and sponsorship of youth programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting a strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow servicemembers and veterans.
In contrast to other veterans organizations, the Legion offers a number of local programs and activities to strengthen its commitment to our nation’s grass roots and the people we serve. American Legion Baseball is one of the nation’s most successful amateur athletic programs; it continues to educate youths on the importance of sportsmanship and develops the quality of our country’s citizenship. The Heroes to Hometowns program is the only nationwide reintegration assistance service for wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, millions of dollars in donations have been given to fellow veterans and their families in times of grief, and various scholarship opportunities ensure the future success of our youth.
The American Legion is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization with great political influence perpetuated by its grass-roots involvements in the legislation process. Legionnaires’ sense of obligation to their community, state and nation drives an honest advocacy for veterans in Washington. The Legion stands not behind politics, but the issues and people that institute progress by focusing on veterans rights and quality of life.
The American Legion’s success depends entirely on active membership, participation and volunteerism. The organization belongs to the people it serves and the communities in which it thrives.
The Four Pillars of The American Legion Booklet (PDF)
The American Legion is again competing for $250,000 for the Legacy Scholarship Fund in July. Additionally, we are entered for August on behalf of job fairs, in which we are quite active. Let’s make it a point to let our “address books” know that we need them to vote every day for the next two months in order to win $500,000 for American Legion Charities. Go to www.legion.org and click on the Pepsi Refresh icon.
